The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

Published: Jan 4, 2009

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Basics

Stylus Control

Spirit Tracks uses a simplified system of input that takes a bit of getting used to. To move around, you simply touch the screen and hold -- Link will travel to wherever you point. If you point far away, he'll run faster. If you point to a location across a short gap, Link will automatically jump the gap. Tap twice quickly and Link will roll to the spot you tap. Anything you want to talk to or interact with you simply need to tap. You can also tap rocks, cuccos and other things to pick them up and carry them above your head.

Combat

Targeted Attack

Tap an enemy and Link will run to it and attack it.

Jumping Slash

If you are a few body-lengths away when you tap an enemy, Link will perform a Jumping Slash and deal extra damage! You'll have to feel out the proper distance for this, but it's about 1/5 of the screen width.

Side-Slash Attack

You can perform a quick stab by swiping the stylus in a direction parallel to Link's line of sight. Swipe perpendicularly to Link's line of sight over to perform a wide slash.

Spin Attack

Draw a quick, tight circle around Link to spin and hit several enemies at once. Beware: do this more than 3 times in a row and you'll get dizzy and be susceptible to attack!

Defense

With a shield, you can simply direct Link to face a threat and he'll automatically block. You can block arrows and other projectiles in this manner.

Controlling Zelda

Unlike in any previous Legend of Zelda game, Zelda is your constant companion in Spirit Tracks. While she'll offer you advice and keep you apprised of your current mission while outside of the Tower of Spirits, in the Tower she'll actually fight along side you.

The large suits of armor that patrol the tower's floors are called Phantoms, and they are all but invincible to Link's attacks. If you charge up your sword with the power of Light (by collecting Light 3 Tears), you'll be able to attack a Phantom from the rear to stun it. Tap it one more time and Zelda will inhabit the Phantom.

When Zelda occupies a Phantom's body, you can control her by selecting the pink icon and drawing a line to where you want her to walk or attack. Depending on the type of Phantom she inhabits, she'll be able to light torches, roll like a giant wrecking ball or teleport as you direct her with your stylus. If you don't want to be bossy, just tap the "Call" icon and Zelda will follow you. Just don't expect her to leap in to battle if she's not actively controlled.

Zelda is impervious to damage of most types in this form and won't upset other Phantoms. In fact, with a single tap, she'll distract Phantoms allowing you to attack them if you wish. If Zelda is directed to a point in a level that's below your feet, you can hop onto her shield and she can walk you across perilous areas, like spikes and fire.

Phantom Zelda can block boulders (or bust through them if she's in wrecking-ball form) and move large obstructions. Her wrecking ball can also mow down the large "spiked bells" some enemies ride.

You can use the path-drawing feature to preview area of the dungeon as well, so draw freely and then cancel the path to get a glimpse of what's to come.

Warp Gates

The Spirit Tracks that link the many destinations on your Rail Map are initially obscured by the actions of your nemesis. You can restore these tracks to open up new places While many portions of the tracks are revealed in the course of the main quest, completing side quests for the various people will result in a Force Gem. The Force Gem will open a small portion of tracks, usually with a portal that allows you to warp between two areas. To use these portals, one of each pair must have a Force Gem activated on the top of the arch -- it will appear as a green triangle. Note that only of the two ends has a green gem, so you'll have to find the right end to activate the pair. Shoot this with your cannon to turn it yellow; then whenever you blow your whistle the portal will open. You can freely travel back and forth through these portals to shave travel time off your journey. Check out our augmented
Rail Map.

Rupees

Collect Rupees to purchase items from shops in towns, pay for Side Quest-related minigames or buy from Beedle's balloon. Small green Rupees are worth 1, blue are worth 5 and red are worth 20. You may happen upon rare rupees as well: Big Green Rupees are worth 100, Big Red Rupees are worth 200 and the legendary Big Gold Rupee is worth 300. Cut down plants, blow away leaves with your Whirlwind, find treasure cheats and destroy enemies and pots to line your pockets with Rupees.

Beedle's Balloon Shop

If you see Beedle's icon appear on your map while you travel on the Spirit Tracks by train, pull up nearby and toot your train whistle to call him down. A chime will sound if he hears your whistle. Stop alongside his balloon and you'll be able to buy treasures, potions and items from him. You can also enroll in his rewards program -- see our sidequests section for more on that.

Health

Your health is represented by the hearts in the upper left quadrant of your screen. Your train and Link have independent life meters, so don't confuse them. Pink hearts indicate Link's life. You can fill the life meter with potions, the Song of Healing and hearts gathered from killing enemies and exploring.

You can extend your lifebar up to 16 hearts by collecting Heart Containers. Check out our Side Quests section for more on these elusive items.

If you lose all your hearts, you'll be forced to return to the entrance of an area or dungeon and begin again with three hearts. If you choose Continue you won't lose all your progress -- unlocked doors will remain unlocked, for instance.

Prize Postcards

You can purchase Prize Postcards from shops which can win you treasure. You can buy 10 for 100 Rupees. Each day a list of prizes is shown on the bulletin boards in each town. You can mail out these tickets for a chance to win the prizes. The more you mail -- up to 20 -- increases your chances of the higher tier (rarer) items. You should take advantage of this to win rare treasures to spend on train parts. Good luck!

Mail

If you see a red mailbox that's bending and shaking in a town, that indicates you have a letter. Tap on the box and the postman will deliver you a letter. You can read your mail in the pause menu. Sometimes mail is accompanied by a map in the upper screen, so be sure not to just read the letter's body!

The Train

Your main mode of transportation in Spirit Tracks is a locomotive engine. The controls for the train are entirely stylus-based. You can adjust the speed and, when you come to a fork in the road, the direction of the train. Before even getting started, you'll be asked to plan a route to your destination. Draw the desired route on the map and then you'll be free to deviate from this path as you wish, or let the train auto-pilot to its destination. To select your route on the fly, a lever will appear at every intersection allowing you to choose one path or another. The current direction through an intersection is shown by a sparkling line on your map.

Don't take your eyes of the screen, though! Enemies will attempt to stop you. You can rotate the camera by holding one spot with the stylus to identify where the threat is (a skull appears on your map, so use the field of vision to point ). Tap the enemy to direct your cannon (acquired eventually, be patient!) to shoot them. If they hit you you'll lose a blue heart -- your train's health meter.

The enemy trains that patrol the tracks (as shown on the map) cannot be killed. You can stun them with your cannon and attempt to outrun them, but the best option is just to avoid them with careful planning. You can see their planned route through any intersections on your map. They will not deviate from their pre-set routes.

As engineer, it is your duty to pilot the train, and any passengers you might have, from one station to another, safely. You don't have to obey signs unless you have a passenger. Signs match your train controls -- slow down, speed up -- with the exception of the ? sign, which requires you to toot your horn. Initiate your changes a bit in advance of a sign and your passenger will be pleased. If you are hit, go into reverse from full speed, miss a stop by a bit or fail to follow a sign your passenger will freak out a tiny bit and the happiness meter above the passenger car will indicate their satisfaction. When it drops to red, watch out: One more mistake and you'll have to restart the trip!

Your train can also carry cargo once you have a Freight Car added to your train car (just play the main quest and you'll get one). Cargo is disturbed by enemy attacks among other things, so you have to be especially vigilant when transporting it or you'll arrive with less goods than you started with.

Map

You can examine your Rail Map at any time from the pause menu. Choose an area to zoom in on and you'll be able to take notes in that area with your stylus. You can also take notes on your Rail Map. Mark puzzles you haven't solved, items you cannot reach and side quests you haven't completed so you can return to them later. Of course, you can always just check out our Side Quest section if you aren't the note-taking type. Check out our augmented
Rail Map.

Stamps

Visit Niko in Aboda Village after taking Alfonso home and he'll give you a Stamp Book. There are 20 Stamp Stations in 20 areas (villages, dungeons etc.) you can visit on the Rail Map -- some of Stations are very well hidden. Approach a Stamp Station to get a stamp and then return to Niko after you've gathered a few. He'll reward you for your efforts. For more on the locations of Stamp Stations, check out our Side Quests section.

Treasure

Treasure can be found under leaves, in pots and treasure chests; it can also be dropped from enemies, purchased from shops or won in the Prize Postcard chance game. If we can offer you any useful bit of advice about treasure it's this: DO NOT SELL IT.

Each treasure has a value in Rupees and can be redeemed for cash at Linebeck's Shop in the Trading Post in the forest region. However, you can also trade treasure for train upgrades! Talk to Linebeck and he'll give you a list of train parts you can upgrade to and the cost in treasure for each. We list all of these parts in our Equipment & Items section. You won't have the option to visit Linebeck until certain events in the main quest transpire, so be patient! Here is a list of Rupee values for each type of treasure.